The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-04-20
Little LiOn.Tamers.

In the celebrated Geological Garden:
at Antwerp there is little baby boy
scarcely able to walk yet, who is per.
mitted to go in among the lions, tigers
leopards, and play with them as if they
were only ordinary pussy cats. He has
not the slightest fear of them, but pulls
their tails and ears, and pokes his little
fingers in their eyes, as babies will do,
and they never do any worse than move
out of his way.
1t is said to be very pretty sight to
see that fair-skinned, big blue-eved
baby comfortably seated by the side of
huge tiger, his little dimpled hand
perhaps pulling the tawny, striped coat
of the monster. 1t may indeed be a
pretty sight, but it must need strong
nerves to enable one to look at it with
pleasure, for to most persons it will
seem hardly possible that the fierce
creature will not turn at any moment
and tear the innocent little baby to
pieces.
The little fellow, however, has no
more fear of any of the savage beasts
in the menagerie than you would of a
lap-dog, for he was born right there,
and has been among the animals all his
short life. Long before he could walk
he was carried to the cages and al
lowed to pat the tamest of the animals,
and before long they began to show
such signs of pleasure at his coming
that in time they became fast friends
and the keepers had no hesitation in
putting the baby in the cage with the
trained leopards, and afterwards with
the lions and tigers.
The leopards were trusted first be-
cause they are usually the mildest tenn
pered and most affectionate of the wild
animals. Instances are known of
leopards rescuing their keepers from
other animals in the menagerie. and
very pretty story is told of one case
when, through the instrumentality of
cage of leopards, man and his baby
girl were saved from the attack of a
Jaguar, one of the most untamable of
animals. The man travelled with the
menagerie and its attached circus as a
gymnast in the summer, but when the
animals went into winter quarters he
was retained as keeper, and lived
with his family in a little cottage
near by.
Scarcely a day passed that he did not
take his baby daughter to see the ami
mails, and they, according to their
custom, grew so fond of her that at her
coming most of them would make some
sign of pleasure. Only one, a sullen
brute of a jaguar, refused to make
friends, and always flattened down his
ears and snarled when she was taken
before his cage. With the leopards, on
the other hand, she was particularly
friendly, and they liked nothing better
than having her put her tiny hand
through the bars to pat and stroke
them. The thought of putting her in
the cage with even the leopards had
never occurred to him, however, and
probably it never would have had not
the jaguar forced it into his mind very
suddenly one day
lie had been cleaning the cages, and.
the process being an unpleasant one to
the jaguar, that ferocious beast was in
such very ugly mood that the man
thought 1t best not to anger him any
more by holding the baby before his
cage. Consequently he hurried past
the cross animal, and thereby failed to
notice that the cage-fastening was so
slipped that the door might easily be
opened. He had reached the leopards.
and was holding the baby so that she
could reach through the bars, when
he heard light thud on the floor be-
hind him, and, looking around, saw to
his horror that the jaguar had escaped,
and with blazing eyes, slow-waVing tail
and crouched body was stealthily NOV
ing toward him.
His first feeling was sickening fear.
but he quickly recovered, and with the
marvellous rapidity the mind is capable
OF in emergencies, sought for means of
escape. He knew he could not escape
by either door, for the 1.-THE, active ami
NAL would overtake him before he had
gone ten PAGES.
A pully rope, used for hosting guam
titles of meat or feed into the room,
dangled from the ceiling to the floor,
and offered him safety had he not been
encountered with the baby. He could
not climb the rope with her; he could
not desert her. And yet to stay there
meant death to both. The desperate
chance suggested itself to throw the
baby among the leopards, and trust to
their friendship, while he would reach
the rope, if not then too late.
Almost as he thought it he slipped the
bolt, lifted the fastening, opened the
door, pushed the baby in, shut the door
and then leaped for the rope. 1t was well
for him that he was gymnast and could
hand -over-hand up rope, for he was
barely out of reach when the jaguar
shot through the air, and with its
terrible claws caught the rope just
under one of his feet.
After making several futile efforts to
reach the man the enraged animal
tried to get into the leopards' cage,
where the baby had been welcomed,
and fortunately was kept in safety un-
III help came and the jaguar was shot.
You may be sure those leopards never
lacked dainty bits of food after that
Horper's Young People.
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